GIS

Welcome to the educational portal for information and resources related to GIS (Geographic Information Systems) in WV. Geospatial technologies are one of the currently fastest growing technology fields (Source: U.S. Department of Labor). To introduce students to the geospatial tools and skills that will be required for many high-demand jobs of the future, West Virginia has developed relationships with generous partners, such as ESRI, to bring industry-standard software and resources to WV teachers and students.

This account is used to login to the WV Student Maps site, as well as ESRI training, and Survey123. Before accessing these additional sites, however, the account must first be activated at WV Student Maps.

Note: Many schools already have their own mapping website for student and teacher use. WV Student Maps is available if you do not want to set up your own mapping website. Information on requesting a mapping website for your school can be found here.

Geoinquiries

These lessons are designed by educators, for educators, to teach content in geographic context. Lesson sets for nearly every content area have been created. Click below to access the document that aligns the ESRI Geoinquiries to specific WV College- and Career-Readiness Standards.

Additional Resources

ESRI also provides instructional resources using the ArcGIS Online platform. Mapping Our World, Thinking Spatially Using GIS, and The ArcGIS Book each contain rich lessons for teaching content, in context, through GIS.

ESRI training

Training is available using the account created at WV Student Maps. When accessing the training site, login with your WV Student Maps login (your Office 365 login). This account allows free access to many of the online training courses and learning paths. It is recommended that you begin by following the learning path “Getting Started in GIS for Educators” found here.

WV Learns Training

Training is available for WV Educators through WV Learns. The course, Computer Science – Introduction to GIS is designed for those teaching the course with the same name described in WV Policy 2520.14 (West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Technology and Computer Science). This WV Learns course provides a solid foundation for any educator seeking instruction in teaching with GIS. Instructions for registering for a WV Learns course can be found here.

WV GIS Listserv

The WV GIS in K12 Listserv is used to distribute information and resources to teachers learning how to use GIS in their classrooms. To subscribe to the WV GIS in K12 Education listserv, send an e-mail to: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.WVNET.EDU with no subject and the following in the body (not subject) of the message (Make sure you put your first and last name as specified):